Mr. Chair, we are not doing too well because he failed the very first question and of course that does not augur well for the rest of the next 15 minutes.
What has actually happened, and the Minister of Finance should know this, is the following. For those families earning between $36,000 and $56,000 a year, since 1989 they have actually seen their real income fall by 3%. They have lost about a week's income. That is 20% of the Canadian population. Let us go further. For those families earning between $20,000 and $36,000 a year, what have they lost? In real terms since 1989, their real income has gone down by 4%. They lost two weeks of income. The worst collapse in income has been among the poorest Canadian families, that is, 20% of families earning less than $20,000 a year. They have lost nearly 10% of their income. That is six weeks of income they have lost.
What has happened since 1989 is that for two-thirds of Canadian families their real income has gone down. That is the answer and that is what a competent minister of finance would be looking at.
Let me go to another question and see if he gets this one right. Statistics Canada reports indicate the nature of most jobs created in today's economy. My next question is very simple. Are most jobs created in today's economy part time and temporary, or are most jobs created in today's economy full time and permanent?